The top of the University of Virginia’s website Saturday linked to a statement by the school president condemning violence and a “message of intolerance and hate.”

Washington – Sen. Chris Murphy on Saturday accused President Trump of giving license to “racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia” that fueled passions at violent white supremacist and neo-Nazi protests at the University of Virginia on Saturday.

“Racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia are tragically alive and well in America today. And make no mistake – these insidious psychologies have been given license to be brought out in the open air by a president that openly seized upon these hatreds during his campaign, and continues to traffic in divisive rhetoric and hateful policies in the White House,” Murphy said.

He also said, “What has happened in Charlottesville over the last 24 hours should be a call to action for every American who has grown complacent under the assumption that our nation’s moral arc naturally bends toward inclusion and tolerance.”

As of late Saturday, one person had been killed and about 35 been injured during violent clashes at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.

The fatality was a 32-year-old woman killed by a car that drove into a crowd of counter-protesters.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also placed blamed on Trump for the violence and outpouring of hate at the UVA campus.

Malloy called the “hatred and xenophobia” of the white nationalists “sickening.”

“What’s also tragic and unacceptable is the silent complicity from the highest office in our land,” Malloy said. “This horror is not being wrought from ‘many sides,’ as the President says. It is coming from one side, and the President has never unequivocally denounced that side throughout his campaign or presidency. Instead, he has incited violence in his speeches, sought to divide people, diminished the rights of minority groups, and instigated fear.”

In brief remarks at a late-afternoon news conference to discuss veterans’ health care, Trump said “the hate and the division must stop and must stop right now,” without specifically mentioning white nationalists or their views.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides. On many sides,” the president said.

That “many sides” comment drew condemnation from congressional Republicans as well as Malloy.

“Mr. President – we must call evil by its name. These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism,” tweeted Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, praised Gardner in his own tweet.

“As Cory shows, #Charlotesville is not a party issue. It is a question of whether you have a moral compass,” Himes said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, tweeted, “We should call evil by its name. My brother didn’t give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home,” and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said “a violent attack has taken at least one American life and injured many others in a confrontation between our better angels and our worst demons.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined Senate colleagues in criticizing the president’s failure to specifically condemn the white supremacists, some of whom were wearing red Trump campaign “Make America Great Again” caps.

“President Trump’s words today were nothing more than a dog whistle to the people whose hateful ideologies spurred violence that left one dead and many more injured,” Blumenthal said. “Our leaders must condemn hate and bigotry in no uncertain terms, consistently, repeatedly and unequivocally.”

Filed Under:

Ana is a longtime Washington correspondent who has won numerous awards, including from The Associated Press and Gannett, has written for more than a dozen newspapers, including USAToday; The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger; the Shreveport (La.) Times; and the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. She’s also been a regular contributor to other publications, including the Miami Herald and Advertising Age. Some of the stories Ana has broken focused on the strategies of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Sen. Trent Lott’s fall from power and questionable Hurricane Katrina contracts. A regular contributor to WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio, a partner of The Mirror, Ana is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism. E-mail her at aradelat@ctmirror.org.

More About

Connecticut’s top state senator said Wednesday he believes moderate Democrats are “growing increasingly comfortable” with a sales tax increase that could ease pressure to slash municipal aid and help break an impasse that has left the state without a budget.

The approval comes one month after reviewers at the federal agency wrote a blistering evaluation of the state's initial plan. The state education department quickly made changes to address the feds' concerns -- but stood its ground and prevailed on a key measure for grading schools.

His name was Henry, and he seemed dubious when an unshaven and sweaty urban hiker named Chris Murphy approached him outside a pawn shop on West Main Street in Meriden, offered his right hand and said, “Hi, I’m your U.S. senator.” Murphy is on his second walk across Connecticut in as many years.

WASHINGTON — United Technologies CEO Gregory Hayes said he was quitting President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council. "As the events of last week have unfolded here in the U.S., it is clear that we need to collectively stand together and denounce the politics of hate, intolerance and racism," Hayes said.

WASHINGTON – Legislation championed for years by Connecticut U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, threatened to become a “poison pill’ Wednesday in a massive budget bill that would avoid a government shutdown. Himes' spokesman, however, insisted the congressman didn't know how the provision was placed in the budget bill.

President Donald Trump’s revival of a declaration that “both sides” were to blame for the deadly violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., has drawn swift rebukes from Connecticut members of Congress -- and a growing number of their GOP colleagues.